PRE-RIDE

65 riders from mostly Australia arrived over the weekend into Bangkok ready to unite and head north to prepare for the ride. My highlight: Seeing a best mate for 25+ years, Ruth! We got to be great friends when I lived in Sydney in the 90's – have stayed friends over the years which now includes are kids being friends too. Ruth also did the design work for my Victorian apartment renovation a couple of years back. She is a member of Business Blueprint – an amazing Australian and New Zealand community for business owners and entrepreneurs. I was so excited when she told me she was doing the ride last year…. And then after seeing the pictures during her journey, I told her I was in if she did it again! She let me know in October she was definitely doing it again – I committed on the spot, even though I hadn’t spent much time on a bike for a few years before. A great reason to dust it off and get going! But oops, hadn’t thought about the fact that my training would be happening in the US winter…. How would I train for hot conditions in Thailand? A trip to Florida for riding in the keys and a trip to Arizona for warm spring conditions helped – plus a lot of miles on the bike on a ‘trainer’ in my living room. Was lucky to be booked for work with a great client in Singapore the month before which gave me more experience riding in warm and humid conditions.

We had all day Sunday April 14 to catch up in Thailand. We met other riders, shopped, walked, got massages to work out the flight kinks and attended a poolside Welcome Reception with the Blueprint group. We were given our jerseys and it all felt really REAL once we tried them on!

Early Monday, we set out on the journey. On the way out of town, we stopped at one of Asia’s biggest slums. We heard about the history of the poor in Thailand and some key factors that have led to this slum area being what it is. We learned of the struggle of many that live there. The slum is literally on top of a swamp and in some areas, the water comes into the homes, or homes are collapsing in to the water. Our visit was during the dry season – we were told in the rainy season, some homes have 6+ inches of water in them.

We learned about the great partnership between Prateep Ungsongtham and Hands Across the Water to build new homes in the slums (13 so far and several more being added each year) and funding 7 orphanages around Thailand. Hands started after it’s Aussie founder, Peter Baines, was working to assist post Tsunami 12 years ago. He had expertise in DNA matching and that’s what he was helping with. And then we learned of a large tent where many, many children who had survived but lost family had been living. The plight and future of the kids tugged at his heart in a way that sprung him to action and he created Hands Across the Water. BIG BONUS… When Peter heard about the very grueling conditions are group was enduring on the ride the first three days (unseasonable heat), he decided to jump on a plane and head over to ride the last two days with us. What an amazing leader to show up and help inspire us to continue --- great to see leadership in action in such a beautiful way!

We walked the slums and my heart just hurts… the conditions were so tough not to mention the extreme heat. My WHY for the ride was strengthened even more. Seeing what these people endure every day made it feel like it was the least we could do to ride 500 km in 5 days! After our walk, we went back to the school and had a ceremony with volunteers and elders. It was beautiful and heart warming and ended with a fun dance party. I had tears throughout the day - - tears of sorrow, tears of being moved, tears of inspiration and tears of joy.

​I was feeling ready --- I get it now… I get why we all worked so hard to raise funds for this worthy, worthy cause. I’m ready to get on the bike and make it happen!

One more stop --- we visited a temple called Wat Chaiwatthanaram on the way. Very cool and oooohhhh so hot. Wait, I was just in Singapore a few weeks ago --- it’s so much hotter here…. We’re really going to ride in this? We arrived at our hotel and joined together for a kickoff dinner on a boat! Great way to get to know the other riders and see the area. We also got to jump on our bike and make sure it was ready for us. I brought my own seat, straps for pedals and Ruth brought me a matching unicorn bell so they were easy to spot among the nearly 70 bikes. Man, it felt great to get on the bike!!!! Went to bed excited and . . . maybe a little nervous.

day 1

Wake, prepare (breakfast, vitamins, grab all you’ll need for the day, apply butt cream – yep, necessary for so much time in the saddle!). Meet outside for our kick off with our might leader, Dale Beaumont. I had tears as I boarded the bike. So much work to get here. So much lies ahead. So much heart surrounding me with this amazing group! Our first 30 km was easy with stops at many temples. We seem to master the art of the group photo on the first day. Dale’s brother is not only a rider but the photographer for the group – amazing guy and amazing skills. Many of the pictures I am including on this page are from him. (Thanks Jay!) ​

The ride --- hot. Some on dirt road but most on tarmac. I did much of my training solo listening to audio books and podcasts…. Not on this ride. On this ride, you typically ride with someone at your side – talking about life, laughing at the crazy moments that happen along the way, encouraging each other as it gets tough. We have breaks every 12-25 km --- I’m usually arriving in the last ½ to 1/3 of the pack which means others are there to cheers us on… and a shorter break so gotta get busy with hydrating! First day, I would fill my water bottle and put my beaded bandana in cold water to cool myself off.. thought that was enough . . . In over 100 degree heat and riding hard, it was not. I was overheating on afternoon rides. Oh, and had my first flat tire right after lunch – thank goodness an amazing crew of mechanics and support people – I was only stopped for about 4-5 minutes until they had another tire on it and I was ready to go. (Then the mechanic then rode with me till I caught up with others.) It was great to finish day 1 and know more what to expect. Made it to the hotel by about 3 and had time for the pool before dinner. Fun team dinner celebrating day 1 in the bag.

Day 2

(Thanks to Heidi Lewis and her mighty GoPro for today’s overview video)

First leg of the day is always so lovely as it’s only about 85-90 degrees which feels soooo nice! First few miles were getting out of town and then a nice country road winding through farm areas. Rode with various riders throughout the day. Got myself very overheated and learned that my level of hydration, even though it seemed so much more than in regular life, is just not cutting it for these extreme conditions. Must up it significantly --- and start icing!

Day 3

​So this AZ girl grew up just thinking you don't go out and do things in the extreme heat (yes, 105F is totally extreme heat for this now Portland girl). I spent my youth avoiding it as much as possible. This group of AMAZING human beings and riders that I'm with this week are teaching me a whole new approach - - - you still go out and ride because we're doing it for the kids and it's through amazing Thailand --- and you take ICING to the EXTREME! Yep, ice in your shirt, on your neck, on your lower back at the start of each hot leg --- sponge icy water over yourself at breaks, drink more than you possibly think that you can, then drink a bit more. Holy cow. Two more days to keep bringing it!!! While I’ve had some migraine drama creep in to keep me sidelined for a few legs, rest day today is helping a lot and I'm feeling strong and ready for days 4 and 5. (rumor is hills.... and the forecast is even a few degrees hotter)

Not only am I learning about extreme icing but also extreme kindness, compassion, humor, hydrating and more. This group is made up of business people from Australia (and a few from New Zealand). It's an amazing community of people with so much heart. If someone sees you struggling on the trail, they come and ride next to you and help keep you going through talking and encouraging. If someone sees you looking overwhelmed and overheating at break time, they bring you more ice and sit with you to make sure you're ok. Yes, we're all here to give to the kids of Thailand but on this grueling 5 days, we give to each other in whatever way we can. It's humbling and beautiful and I feel blessed to be in the thick of this experience.

THANKS FOR THE LOVE AND SUPPORT family, friends, clients, and colleagues!When I get glimpses of the messages of encouragement it means a lot!!!​I'm blessed to be here doing this -- and even more blessed to have all of you in my life!​

Day 3 was the biggest of the 5 and hot, hot, hot too. Not many photos as everyone was focused on getting through it. Two unfortunate things happened . . . my buddy Ruth took a fall and banged up and twisted her knee really bad, and my migraine came on super strong at lunch preventing me from taking on the afternoon. All of the riders that made it through this day were stretched to their limit with high, still heat, some long dirt roads and warm end of day wind. Have I mentioned they are all super heroes? Each and everyone!!!!

Rest Day

I can’t say how much this rest day was needed by ALL of the riders. The heat was extreme the first three days and with the long days on day 2 and 3, all bodies needed some downtime. Having had a few days with migraines acting up, I started my day with a sleep in – nearly 8 am. Wowza. Breakfast, heading to town for a 90 min amazing massage, rest, pool, dinner and early to bed. It was such a delight to be in the same hotel and second night as that never happened the whole week except after day 3 and rest day. Dinner was nice as we all had a bit more energy. Lots of laughter and inspiration as we’re gearing up for the final 2 days.

Day 4

This was my best day in that I finally felt great all day through the ride. I rode with three different riders I hadn’t had a chance to ride with before and it was lovely. There was a bit of drama in that I and another rider had a cat run into the street and. . . ugh, I can’t talk about it. On to a highlight of the day – elephants! We rode into an elephant reserve and out on the road several were waiting for us. How wonderful!!! And, a bit of a funny story...

The elephants were all eating watermelon as we checked them out. We had the 10 min warning called so all needed to rush in to get water and ice before taking off again. . . well, with nobody around to see her, one of the elephants that must have still been hungry went over to our support vehicles…. And she must have a thing for pineapple and saw it inside…. Yep, with her trunk, she broke the truck window and grabbed herself a pineapple. She was just heading in and our riders had to break up to leave her space as she walked with the pineapple in her trunk – none of us knew yet where she got it, lol. One of the support people got a photo right before it happened. Silly elephant.

​Another perk of day 4 was finishing before lunch to give us time for an afternoon outing. We went to a place called Hellfire Pass which has special significance from World War II. Sadly, by the time we arrived, my migraine was back so I skipped the tour itself. Lovely team dinner knowing it was our last before the big finish day.

day 5

Emotions were high for everyone. . . it was the last day on the road and we’d be ending it with the kids. Such a special journey and it all culminates with what the whole trip was about – the kids!!! First a bit about the ride ---- much of it was on rolling hills on dirt roads through farming communities. Another hot day but a bit of shade in the morning. Made a stop along a river to check out some sites and be tourists. And then back on the bike for the final kilometers. . . . We did a stop at 2 km out and the emotion for everyone was sky high . . . this was it. We gathered and had inspiring words from both Dale and Peter and then got on the bikes and rode the final 2 km in together as a group. Even Ruth was able to get back on her bike with her bum knee and make the ride.

As we road into the New Life Project Kanchanaburi, all of the kids and workers were outside waiting for us. The had ‘We Are The Champions’ playing and I don’t think there was one of us that didn’t have tears streaming as we got off of our bike. Each of us had been given a picture and some details of one of the children at New Life on the first day ---- this was our special kid that we were riding for. My boy’s name was Boss – he’s 11 and likes football (so that would be soccer!). I kept his laminated picture in the back of my bike jersey all week. It got wet with all the ice and sweat, but I looked at him several times each day knowing he and his friends at New Life needed us. Once we got off the bikes, we went to find our kid. They all had signs with our names and were looking for us too. Me and Boss locked eyes and I ran over to hug him. He took my hand and led me into the room where the festivities would be happening. He brought me a coconut full of coconut water and a wet towel and I rested and we smiled at each other. He spoke very little English so we weren’t able to talk much and honestly, it didn’t matter, it was so special to be there with him. We enjoyed some entertainment put on by the kids, and a bit by our group too. We had lunch and were able to tour the facility and spend more time with the kids. Honestly, I thought being at this facility would be super sad and instead, these kids inspired the heck out of me. They were happy and gracious and playful and just genuinely happy to have us there. We had heard some of their stories throughout the week and knew that all of them have had a tough start to life and did not have family to take care of them.

It was so meaningful when Peter shared with us that the nearly $400k our group raised in fundraising would keep this center and it's 66 kids fully funded for another 12 months.That's HUGE . . . and yes, sort of makes me want to ride again.(That was not a commitment . . . just an in-the-moment heartfelt moment, lol.)

We left the kids, checked in at our final hotel (fancier than the rest) and showered for our final evening. A beautiful celebration where the kids came to join us for dinner and a fantastic night of dancing. Boss was shy on the dance floor at first and hung with some of his fellow mates but by the end of the night, they all were dancing with no cares. It was a beautiful night of joy for all. (Tears streaming down my face as I type) Once we said goodbye to the kids, most of us headed to the bar. . . time for drinks without worry of getting on the bike the next day! Ruth and I started with bubbles which seemed very appropriate. ​

If you made it this far, I hope this gave you a better idea of the journey. Your contribution, whether financial or emotional, made this all possible. I trained hard and did fundraising hard too. If you are someone I’ve worked with or talked to in the last 6 months, you’ve known about this trip as it’s been such a big deal for me. Thanks for your encouragement, love and support. I carried each one of you with me. While I had to sit out some legs due to my migraines acting up big team in the sweltering conditions, even that was a gift. I don’t accept help easily . . . I push and push and wear my Super Woman cape tightly. Well, my health didn’t allow me to do that for the whole journey this trip, and, being able to set it down gracefully and lean into the support that was all around me was huge. (again, more tears as I type this) My lesson and reminder. . . Go alone and you will go fast. Go together and you will go far. I went very far with this group of AMAZING, badass riders and business people to make such a beautiful difference to some equally amazing kids in Thailand. Yes, the ride hurt – yes, we had to push hard when we thought we couldn’t push anymore. And we know, these kids and the poor in Thailand have had to do that much of their life. To be able to push ourselves hard on the fundraising and the ride to support them at least a little bit was such a meaningful adventure --- I am forever humbled, changed, and my heart has grown to new levels.